The Little Match Girl

Transcription

1 Characters: Narrator Lamplighters (number to suit available cast) Father Little Match Girl Two Street Boys Mother and Daughter Orange Seller Ribbon Seller Man in the Street Woman in the Street Street cast (number to suit available cast) Grandmother Woman in the Street Man in the street Fire dancer Star dancer Angel The Little Match Girl By Hans Christian Andersen Adapted by for Outram School by Ann Horner Music: Track 1: Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht: Weiner Sangerknaben, 1974 TELDEC Record Service Track 2: Nocturne from String Quartet No. 2 in D Major, Borodin, Classical for the New Age, 2010 Track 3: Pie Jesu, The St Philips Boys Choir, Angel Voices, 2009 Track 4: Bells Church Bell Sound Effects, Hollywood Sound Effects, 2011 Calmsound Track 5: Stille Natt, Heilage Natt, Arve Tellefsen, Innsplit I Nifarosdomen, Tronddheim, 1998 Scene - A street in winter, in a small town somewhere in Russia long ago. Music Track 1: Silent Night, Vienna Boys Choir Verses 1-2: Lamplighters arrive down street aisle to light street lamps and stage, followed by street sellers andstreet cast. A busy street scene develops in mime between basket sellers and customers. Narrator This is a story that happened long, long ago on the other side of the world. This was a time when children of poor families were sent out to sell flowers in summer and matches in the winter. The story takes place in mid-winter. It s Christmas Eve. The snow is falling and it s nearly dark The Father and Little Match Girl enter down street aisle. 1

2 Father: Hurry up! It s time for you to go and sell matches. Little Match Girl: I m so hungry! Can I have a crust of bread? Father: There s no food left. Take the matches and sell them. Then we can buy bread! Little Match Girl: I have no shoes or slippers to wear in the snow. Father: Here, wear your mother s (hands her slippers), she s still asleep. The Little Match Girl puts on the slippers. Her father hands her the matches which she takes and tucks into her apron. Little Match Girl: Thank you Father. Father: Don t come home until you sell them all. Do you understand? Little Match Girl: Yes Father. Goodbye. The Little Match Girl moves forward into the street and the Father returns back down the aisle. The Little Match Girl meanders through the street scene trying to sell her matches. She is hunched and cold and miserable. The street cast respond in mime to her calls. Narrator: In the cold and the darkness the poor little girl walked bareheaded through the falling snow. She had no coat, no hat and no slippers. She left home with slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which were her mother s. (Two boys enter down street aisle) Two boys dodged roughly past her with oranges stole from the orange seller. The Little Match Girl was knocked to the ground - her slippers lost, her matches spilling all around. Little March Girl: Oh no! My slippers! Where are they? Little Boy: What are you looking for? Little Match Girl: I lost my slippers, please help me find them! Little Boy: Let me see.. Look! I found them! Little Match Girl: Oh thank you! Little Boy: Not so fast Now they belong to me. See you! Little Match Girl: Please no! (The boy moves away down the street aisle with her slippers). 2

3 The Little Match girl stands in the middle of the stage holding out her matches. People shopping for Christmas gifts pass by her. They move around the stage and pass behind her and in front of her as they mime the scene. Little Match Girl: Matches, matches, would you like to buy matches? She holds the matches out to each person as they pass. They turn their head away from her. She turns to hold them out to the next person who passes. A well dressed mother and child carrying parcels walk enter down street aisle. Mother: I m so glad we ve finished our shopping. Girl: Thank you for buying me the doll mother. It s so pretty. Little Match Girl: Matches ma m? Would you like to buy some matches? Mother: We don t need matches. Get away from us. They push past the Little Match Girl Girl: She s so dirty. Mother: I know darling. Hurry! Girl: (looks back at the Little Match Girl) Look at her dress, mother, it s so old and she isn t wearing any shoes. Little Match Girl: (Following the mother and child) Please buy some matches. They re only a penny. Mother: Get away from us. (Pulling child by the hand they exit behind window) The Little Match Girl trembles with cold. Fewer people pass the girl as she holds out matches to them. They gradually leave the stage area to get into position behind the windows. She tries to sell matches to the ribbon seller and the orange seller. Little Match Girl: Matches, matches! Would you like some matches? Ribbon Seller: Get away from me! You ve been bothering me and my customers all day! Ribbon seller exists behind window. The Little Match Girls approaches the orange seller. Little Match Girl: Sir, Sir please would you like to buy some matches? They are magical, you know. When you light one, all your wishes come true. Orange Seller: That s nonsense! Those are fairy tales. Get away from me. Little Match Girl: But, sir, please buy one its light will give you the most wonderful New Year. 3

4 Orange Seller: I told you. I don t want matches today. Why don t you go home, it s a cold night. Little Match Girl: I can t sir, my father told me not to go home until I sell them all. Orange Seller: I m sorry, I don t need matches. (He walks away from her and exits behind window) The little girl is left alone. She sits down in the corner on the ramp beneath the street lamp Narrator Nobody had bought anything from the little girl; no one had given her a single penny! She crept along trembling with cold and hunger--a picture of sorrow, the poor little thing! The flakes of snow covered her hair. From behind the windows the candles glowed. Delicious smells of roast goose wafted through the night air for it was Christmas Eve. The Little Match Girl grew colder and colder but did not dare to go home for she had not sold any matches and could not bring home even a single penny. Little Match Girl: Oh, I wish I could cover myself with something. My hands and feet are so cold! (She looks at the matches then puts them down. She looks at them again.) I will light just one of my matches to warm my fingers a little. (The little girl strikes a match on the brick wall) Little Match Girl: I feel warm now. Oh, what a wonderful light. What is that, over there? It s a fire. My feet and hands feel so warm. Narrator How the flame blazed, how it burnt! It was a warm, bright flame, like a candle; it was a wonderful light. As she held her hands over the flame it seemed to the little girl that she was dancing in front of a roaring fire. It seemed that the fire warmed her and the little girl stretched out her arms towards the fire. Music Track 2: Borodin Nocturne (1 min 54 secs) Fire dancer enters down aisle and dances with Little Match girl. Narrator: The flame from the little match went out. Little Match Girl shivers with cold and looks at burnt out match. 4

5 Narrator: The fire vanished. All that was left was a burnt out match in her hand. The little girl was so cold. She rubbed another match against the wall: it burned brightly. Its flame lit up a window. Light up behind the window. Actors arrange Christmas feast. They place each thing on the table with a flourish. Narrator: Inside she could see a table. On the table was spread a snow-white tablecloth; upon it people placed splendid plates and glassware. Then a large Christmas pudding was brought out. The pudding was so huge it could barely be lifted to the table it and it was steaming famously with a stuffing of apple and dried plums. The little girl could smell the goose and imagined the taste of apples and plums on her tongue. The flame from the little match went out. Light fades out behind the window. Little Match Girl shivers and looks at burnt out match. Narrator: The table and the wonderful food vanished. All that was left was a burnt out match in her hand. The little girl was so cold. She took another match and rubbed it against the wall: it burned brightly. In the next window the little girl could see a beautiful Christmas tree, sparkling with decorations. Light up behind second window. Children are tying ribbons around box presents and decorating a tree. Little Match Girl: Oh, what a wonderful Christmas tree. The lights are as bright as stars! Narrator Soon the flame from the little match went out. The Christmas tree and the gifts, the children and the music vanished. Light fades out behind window. Little match girl shivers and looks at burnt out match. Narrator: The lights the little girl had seen on the Christmas tree seemed to rise up into the sky higher and higher. She saw them now as stars in heaven. One fell down and formed a long trail of fire. 5

6 Little Match Girl: Oh, there s a star falling and it s leaving behind it a bright streak of fire. Someone is going to heaven! Little Match Girl, shivering with cold, moves to ramp to sit under street lamp. Narrator The little girl s grandmother was the only person who treated the little girl with love. Before she died, the grandmother had told the little girl that when a star falls, a soul ascends to heaven. The little girl drew another match against the wall: it was again light, and in the lustre there stood the old grandmother, so bright and radiant and with such an expression of love. Little Match Girl strikes her last match. Grandmother appears illuminated in shadow inside church window on stage. Little Match Girl moves towards her. Little Match Girl: Grandmother, Oh take me with you; I know you will go away when the match burns out; you will vanish like the warm fire, the roast goose, and the glorious Christmas tree. (Match goes out) Grandmother silently disappears into church. The Little Match Girl returns to stage. With her life ebbing away in the freezing cold, she lies down on the ramp and sleeps. Music Track 3: Pie Jesu Star dancer enters down street to stage to verse 1. Angel enters down street to verse 2. Angel, Star and Little Match Girl dance warmly, softly, slowly, dreamily together. Grandmother enters from church window to verse 3 The Grandmother takes the Little Match Girl s hand and they move slowly around the set together before leaving the stage through the church window. Angel and Star exit down the street to back of hall. Music ends. Narrator: The grandmother took the girl and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, where there was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety - they were with God. Street woman emerges from behind window scattering paper snowflakes as the narrator speaks. 6

7 Narrator: The cold continued through the night. Eventually morning came and light filtered over the cold hard snow. People came out of their warm houses wrapped in their hats and cloaks. Their feet crunched over the snowy ground. Music Track 4: Bell ringing Lamplighters return down aisle to check lamps. Street cast appear with lanterns from behind windows and down street aisle. They mime excitedly giving gifts on Christmas morning. Little Match Girl returns to ramp unseen and screened by street excitement. Street cast become aware of the Little Match Girl frozen to death on the ramp. They stop and surround the ramp, looking at the little girl. Narrator: In the corner of the two houses sat the little girl. She was smiling and leaning against the wall--frozen to death on the Eve before Christmas. Man in the Street: Poor little girl, she froze to death on Christmas Eve! Woman in the Street: It s so sad (picks up a burnt out match) she tried to warm herself with the matches. Street cast leave their lanterns around the little match girl and exit slowly, heads bowed, down the street. The Narrator leaves her position and exits down the street. The Little Match Girl is left surrounded by lanterns in a pool of light. Narrator: The people in the street saw a little girl who was cold and dead. They did not know what beautiful things she had seen; no one dreamed of the splendour in which, with her Grandmother she had entered the joy of a new year. Music Track 5 Silent Night 2 Little Match Girl lies still to strains of solo violin playing verse 1. Curtains close as choir verse begins. The End 7